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Last week, I attended the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Boston, MA. NCSL leadership invited me to present on the work we are doing with our Utah Commission on Federalism that I chair to restore the structure of the governing partnership between the national government and the states.

Much has happened since the 2017 legislative session. Although we are a part-time legislature in Utah, the work is certainly not part time and I’d like to share with you some of the things I have been working on the past few months in an effort to improve the quality of life for the people of Utah and to prepare some of their concerns to go before the legislature in less than six months from now.

Historic! Game Changer! We CAN do this! This gives me real hope for our nation! These were just some of the comments from the Convention of States simulation I was elected to preside over this past September in Williamsburg, VA.

Imagine you forgot your bicycle out in a dusty field for many years. When a friend asks if he can ride your bicycle, you tell him where to find it, but that it might need a “little” maintenance before he takes it out for a ride.

Our unique governing system was designed like a tug o' war between state and national governments to provide the healthy tension between the two "as a double security to the rights of the people." This system is called federalism. Together with the separation of powers between the three branches of government, these are the two fundamental pillars that secure our peace and our right to pursue prosperity. Like a tug o' war, if nearly all the rope today is on the federal government side, it's not the federal government's fault that the states are not pulling their constitutional weight as the system requires. But, we can't expect state and local leaders to do what they don't know or have never been taught.

Many ask about my passion for the Transfer of Public Lands Act that I passed in 2012 (HB148). Here is an article that was published where I expressed in detail the principles of freedom that make the Transfer of Public Lands to all willing western states more than just a good idea...it's critical to our Republic. - Ken Ivory

Knowledge and Courage – Keys to the Transfer of Public Lands - Why The Difference?